Acknowledgements

There are many people whose efforts on this book have contributed to its successful completion. I owe each a debt of gratitude and want to take this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks.

A very special thanks to my publisher, Steve Elliot, without whose continued interest and support this book would not have been possible. Senior development editor Nate McFadden provided staunch support and encouragement when it was most needed. Thanks to my production project manager, Mohanambal Natarajan, whose fine work and attention to detail has been invaluable. Thanks also to my marketing manager, Todd Conly, whose efforts on this book have been greatly appreciated. Finally, thanks to all the other people at Morgan Kaufmann Publishers/Elsevier Science & Technology Books, whose many talents and skills are essential to a finished book.

Thanks to my wife, Bee Vacca, for her love, her help, and her understanding of my long work hours. Finally, I wish to thank all the following authors who contributed chapters that were necessary for the completion of this book: Jeffrey S. Bardin, Rahul Bhaskar, Lauren Collins, Scott R. Ellis, Anna Granova, Ravi Jhawar, Bhushan Kapoor, Luther Martin, Pramod Pandya, Vincenzo Piuri, Marco Santambrogio Marco Slaviero, Terence Spies, William Stallings.